Flights between the UK and United States: what a delay is worth
Every route the CAA tracks between the UK and United States falls in the same distance band (Over 3,500 km), so a delay of 3 hours or more pays a flat £520 per passenger under UK261 if the flight left the UK (€600 under EU261 if it left United States instead and the airline was a UK or EU carrier). Find your route below.
| Route | 3h+ delay pays |
|---|---|
| Heathrow → New York (John F Kennedy) | £520 |
| Heathrow → New York (Newark) | £520 |
| Heathrow → Los Angeles International | £520 |
| Heathrow → Chicago (O'Hare) | £520 |
| Heathrow → Boston | £520 |
| Heathrow → San Francisco | £520 |
| Heathrow → Washington (Dulles) | £520 |
| Heathrow → Miami International | £520 |
| Heathrow → Atlanta | £520 |
| Heathrow → Dallas/Fort Worth | £520 |
| Heathrow → Houston | £520 |
| Heathrow → Seattle (Tacoma) | £520 |
| Heathrow → Charlotte | £520 |
| Heathrow → Philadelphia International | £520 |
| Heathrow → Denver International | £520 |
All 15 tracked UK ↔ United States routes, sorted by yearly flight volume. Figures are per passenger under UK261; EU261 pays €600 for the same band.
In the last 12 months, 93,486 flights operated between the UK and United States: 76.2% ran within 15 minutes of schedule, and 1.0% were 3 or more hours late, roughly 935 flights' worth of eligible passengers in a year. The CAA's figures don't separate arrivals from departures, so this covers the route both ways.
Punctuality is up on last year: 76.2% of flights ran on time against 73.0% in the twelve months before, and the average delay fell from 18.5 to 15.7 minutes.
Flights (12mo)
93,486
On time
76.2%
▲ 3.2pts vs last year
Avg delay
15.7 min
▼ 2.8 min vs last year
3h+ delayed
1.0%
Cancelled
1.9%
United States, month by month
Worst month: July 2025, averaging 21.4 minutes.
Busiest routes between the UK and United States
| UK airport | Destination | 3h+ delay pays |
|---|---|---|
| Heathrow | New York (John F Kennedy) | £520 |
| Heathrow | New York (Newark) | £520 |
| Heathrow | Los Angeles International | £520 |
| Heathrow | Chicago (O'Hare) | £520 |
| Heathrow | Boston | £520 |
| Heathrow | San Francisco | £520 |
| Heathrow | Washington (Dulles) | £520 |
| Heathrow | Miami International | £520 |
| Heathrow | Atlanta | £520 |
| Heathrow | Dallas/Fort Worth | £520 |
| Heathrow | Houston | £520 |
| Heathrow | Seattle (Tacoma) | £520 |
| Heathrow | Charlotte | £520 |
| Heathrow | Philadelphia International | £520 |
| Heathrow | Denver International | £520 |
UK airports flying to United States
Airlines flying between the UK and United States
| Airline | 3h+ % | On-time % |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 0.6% | 74.0% |
| Virgin Atlantic | 0.3% | 81.7% |
| United Airlines | 1.8% | 75.8% |
| American Airlines | 1.8% | 74.1% |
| Delta Air Lines | 0.9% | 79.3% |
| JetBlue Airways | 0.5% | 81.6% |
| Norse Atlantic UK | 2.3% | 72.7% |
| Aer Lingus | 1.2% | 67.9% |
| TUI Airways | 1.1% | 59.4% |
| Alaska Airlines | <0.5% | 65.0% |
Your rights on this route
Every flight leaving the UK for United States is covered by UK261, whichever airline operates it. Flights the other way, landing in the UK from United States, are covered too if a UK or EU airline operated them; a return flight on a non-UK, non-EU carrier falls outside UK261, though the Montreal Convention and United States's own rules may still give you a claim. See the full breakdown on the 3-hour rule. Cancelled instead of delayed? Broadly the same amounts apply under different conditions. See cancelled flight compensation.
Flying soon? We'll watch your flight
Enter your flight and email. The moment it goes 3+ hours late or gets cancelled, we email you what you're owed and how to claim it. Free, one email, no spam.
Airlines flying to United States
See all countries · See all UK airports · See all airlines
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, July 2025 to June 2026. Analysis by CheckFlightCompensation; the CAA is credited as the data source as its publication conditions require. Figures cover the 25 largest UK airports.